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Serving Any Way I Could

Summary: After church attendance in Shih Lin, Taiwan, grew rapidly, the branch faced shortages of space, chairs, and even a podium. Members provided chairs and a piano, and after much searching the narrator built a podium himself with God’s help so it would be ready for church the next day. He concludes that a life of service has brought him joy, strength, and spiritual blessings, and that miracles can happen when we serve God.
As wonderful as the increased attendance was, it presented a problem. We were meeting in a small building off Chung Cheng Road and did not have room for all who wanted to come. So we moved to a larger building on Chung Shan North Road. Though the building was larger, we did not have enough chairs, and in those days it was difficult to obtain materials through normal Church channels. We felt blessed when a member bought 100 chairs and donated them to our chapel. He also bought a piano to replace the old, dilapidated organ we had found in the building.

Yet we had still another problem: no podium. As we prayed to know how to get one, I learned that a local elementary school had some wood we could use. For days I searched for a carpenter who could build a podium from the wood, but I couldn’t find one. Finally, on a Saturday, I decided to build it myself. I had never carried such heavy objects, and I would never have believed I could finish the podium in one day, but God helped me. The podium was ready for church the next day. All the members were amazed, but not as amazed as I was. It seemed a miracle to me.

Since joining the Church, I have not let one day pass without serving in some way. As a result, my life has been blessed with joy, fulfillment, and spiritual riches. Before I joined the Church, my body was weak, but now I feel strong and healthy even as I grow older. I am able to serve often in the Taipei Taiwan Temple. I am grateful for all of God’s blessings, especially the Book of Mormon. In it are words of great beauty. I know that studying the Book of Mormon can bring us spiritual strength and help us deal with the difficult challenges of our time. I know, too, that serving God, no matter what our calling, results in a multitude of blessings. Sometimes even miracles happen.
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πŸ‘€ Church Members (General)
Charity Gratitude Kindness Music Sacrament Meeting Service

Called to Serve:New General Authorities

Summary: As a teenager working on an oyster boat, Richard G. Scott refused to join the crew in their partying, drawing their ridicule. One night a drunken crew member woke him because a man had fallen overboard, and Scott was the only one sober enough to save him. His quick action prevented tragedy, and he later observed that while the crew publicly mocked him, they privately respected his standards.
Elder Scott remembers an incident in his youth that reinforced the importance of staying true to his beliefs. As a teenager, he worked on an oyster boat, earning money for college. The crew was rough and suspicious of this young man who refused to join them in living it up on shore. One night, he was roughly awakened by a drunken crew member who said a man had fallen overboard. β€œScotty,” as he was called then, was the only one in condition to save the man. Quick action averted a tragedy.
Elder Scott said of the lesson he learned that night, β€œPublicly the crew members ridiculed me, but privately they respected me for my standards.”
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πŸ‘€ General Authorities (Modern) πŸ‘€ Youth πŸ‘€ Other
Agency and Accountability Apostle Courage Education Emergency Response Employment Obedience Self-Reliance Service Temptation Young Men

Black Beauty’s Author

Summary: After Anna Sewell’s death, a horse-drawn hearse arrived bearing horses fitted with restrictive checkreins. Her mother, seeing this from an upstairs window, immediately ordered the reins removed. The act honored Anna’s lifelong concern for humane treatment of horses.
Anna Sewell died a year after the book’s publication on April 25, 1878, of a painful lung infection. When the horse-drawn hearse arrived at the door, her mother looked down from an upstairs window and saw that the horses had bearing-reins [checkreins]. β€œOh, this will never do!” she exclaimed and hurried to order the cruel, restricting reins removed. This loving mother thereby performed one more service for her daughter and for her daughter’s friends, the horses.
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πŸ‘€ Parents πŸ‘€ Other
Death Family Kindness Love Service

The Law of the Fast

Summary: In 1896, missionary Hyrum M. Smith observed that English Saints lost time and pay to attend Thursday fast meetings. He wrote to his father, Joseph F. Smith, who brought the concern to Church leaders. The First Presidency and apostles decided to hold fast day on the first Sunday, allowing Saints to meet without such hardship.
President Smith then explained:
β€œThis custom of holding fast meetings on Thursday was continued in Nauvoo and also after the coming of the members of the Church to the Rocky Mountains. I can remember the time when certain business houses closed their doors each fast day and placed on the doors, β€˜Closed for fast meeting.’ …
β€œThe change from the first Thursday to the first Sunday of the month came about in this manner. Hyrum M. Smith, who later became a member of the Council of the Twelve, was a missionary in Newcastle, England, in the year 1896. On the Thursday of the fast meeting, members of the Church in that land had to get excused from their employment with a loss of pay. Some of them were workers in the coal mines. When these came from the pits, they had to go home, bathe, and change their clothes. This was a loss both of time and compensation. Hyrum wrote to his father, President Joseph F. Smith, and asked why, under such circumstances, the fast day had to be a Thursday and not a Sunday. President Smith took the letter to the meeting of the First Presidency and the apostles and presented it there. The following is an excerpt from the minutes of the meeting held November 5, 1896:
β€œβ€˜President Joseph F. Smith introduced the subject of fast meetings, suggesting that a change of the time from the first Thursday to the first Sunday in each month would probably be beneficial. This was endorsed by President George Q. Cannon, and after other brethren had spoken on the subject, it was decided that the Tabernacle services would be dispensed with on the first Sunday of each month, and that the saints in this city as well as in the country wards, should have the privilege of meeting in their meeting houses at 2 o’clock p.m. to observe fast day.’” (Improvement Era, Dec. 1956, p. 895.)
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πŸ‘€ Missionaries πŸ‘€ General Authorities (Modern) πŸ‘€ Church Members (General)
Apostle Employment Fasting and Fast Offerings Sabbath Day Sacrament Meeting

The Blessings of Worship

Summary: The speaker visited a stake in the western United States on a typical Sunday and observed the congregation. Inspired by the Spirit, he realized the members had come to worship, not just attend. Seeing their reverent countenances, he joined in worship and learned about the power and role of true worship. Reflecting later, he concluded that without worship, we miss much of the joy and peace of the gospel.
Earlier this year I was on assignment visiting a stake in the western United States. It was a normal Sunday, a normal meeting, with normal members of the Church. I watched as people entered the chapel and reverently moved to available seats. Last-second, whispered conversations echoed throughout the hall. Mothers and fathers triedβ€”sometimes in vainβ€”to quiet energetic children. Normal.

But then, before the meeting began, words inspired of the Spirit came into my mind.
These members had not come just to fulfill a duty or listen to speakers.
They had come for a deeper and far more significant reason.
They had come to worship.

As the meeting progressed, I observed various members in the congregation. They had an almost heavenly expression, an attitude of reverence and peace. Something about them warmed my heart. The experience they were having that Sunday was something quite extraordinary.
They were worshipping.
They were experiencing heaven.
I could see it in their countenances.
And I rejoiced and worshipped with them. And as I did so, the Spirit spoke to my heart. And on that day, I learned something about myself, about God, and about the role of true worship in our lives.

When I reflect back on what began as a normal Sunday morning, in that normal meetinghouse, in that normal stake, even today I am moved by that extraordinary spiritual experience that will forever bless my life.
I learned that even if we are exceptional managers of our time, callings, and assignmentsβ€”even if we check all the boxes on our list of the β€œperfect” individual, family, or leaderβ€”if we fail to worship our merciful Deliverer, heavenly King, and glorious God, we are missing much of the joy and peace of the gospel.
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πŸ‘€ General Authorities (Modern) πŸ‘€ Church Members (General) πŸ‘€ Parents πŸ‘€ Children
Holy Ghost Jesus Christ Peace Revelation Reverence Sabbath Day Sacrament Meeting

The Lord Just Wants Us to Start

Summary: Kelvin Gwala accepted a calling to serve on the Durban South Africa Temple committee despite long drives and rising fuel and food costs. He frequently worried about affording petrol, yet he always managed to reach the meetings and found his fuel and budget stretched further than expected. At month’s end, his family managed well as he continued to pay tithing and fast offerings. He views these outcomes as a personal miracle and a witness that the Lord blesses those who begin in faith.
For Kelvin Gwala, the opportunity to serve on the Durban South Africa Temple committee was a blessing that initially came with concern.
As a resident of Umlazi, South Africa, Brother Gwala had a roundtrip drive of about sixty kilometers each time he traveled to Berea for committee meetings, which were held for almost a year with increasing frequency. If it wasn’t a temple committee meeting, he needed to attend on a Sunday, he traveled to practice with one of the temple dedication choirs. He made additional midweek trips to attend stake training meetings since he also serves as the Durban Stake clerk.
About the same time, he was asked to serve on the committee, the price of petrol began to rise dramatically, and food prices increased. Each time he needed to drive to Berea for a meeting, he would sit and wonder where he was going to get money for fuel. But, he says, somehow, someway, he would end up in Berea, the small amount of fuel he had in his car lasting longer than he thought it would.
β€œAt first,” he says, β€œI felt like it was putting a strain on my budget. But at the end of the month, we would be fine. To my amazement, the Lord saw us through.”
Those first worries about his tight budget, Brother Gwala now believes, were just negative thoughts that could have stopped him from serving. Instead, he made a faithful effort and experienced what he calls β€œmy own miracle.”
As he reflected on his experiences, he came to an important conclusion: β€œThe Lord just wants us to start,” he says. β€œNo matter how difficult a situation might look, if you start, then the Lord does meet you halfway. For me, those were the blessings. You were living on a tight budget, then you pay your fast offering and your tithing, but the Lord saw us through, and the family managed well. The Lord did bless us and continues to bless us.”
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πŸ‘€ Church Members (General)
Adversity Faith Fasting and Fast Offerings Miracles Sacrifice Service Temples Tithing

Strawberries and Aprons

Summary: Carrie and her mother sew aprons to sell while her father is away at war. When the merchant can only sell three aprons, they still set aside money for tithing and then discover their strawberries have ripened unexpectedly. Mother teaches that true riches are God’s blessings, not just money, and plans to share the strawberries with a neighbor. Carrie learns that blessings often come in surprising ways and at needed times.
My father’s a soldier and is fighting in a war a long way from us. But Mother and I get letters regularly that help bring him home for a while. First, we read my letter and laugh at the funny things he writes. When my mother opens her letter, however, she sits by the window and reads it alone. Once in a while she reads me part of it, but mostly she reads it silently, then stares out over the fields for a quiet time.
Once I even saw Mother cry, and I knew she must really be missing him. That was only for a minute, though, and I pretended not to see. Then she wiped her eyes on her apron, folded the letter, and put it into a box. When she stood up, she smiled. β€œWe must keep busy, Carrie,” she said as she smoothed my hair with a gentle hand. β€œWould you like to pin the pattern for me so I can cut more material?”
I like to work with Mother. We talk about many things, like Father and the war or school; and before I even know it, time has passed, and I am hemming one apron as she is sewing the seams of the second.
One day as we worked, a heavy knock sounded at our door and I jumped up from my chair to see who it was. β€œHello, Mr. Briggs,” I said as I swung the screen door wide. β€œWill you please come in? Mother is sewing, but I’ll get her for you.”
He nodded and stood with his hat in his hand, waiting.
β€œMother!” I said excitedly. β€œMr. Briggs has come to see you.”
She smiled and smoothed her hair, then untied and removed her apron. With her head held high, she went to greet our visitor. β€œMay I offer you a lemonade, Mr. Briggs?” she asked.
β€œNo, thank you, ma’am,” he replied.
I left them alone and stood by the front door, looking at his motor truck parked beyond the front fence, with BRIGGS EMPORIUM emblazoned on the side of it in bold red letters. After only a few minutes, Mr. Briggs came out onto the porch with Mother.
β€œI’m sorry,” he was saying quietly. β€œIf you’d like, I can keep the aprons and see how business is in Clarion County. The agreement will be the same, Mrs. Clancey. But with times as they are, well …” He shrugged and waited for my mother’s reply.
She nodded and folded her hands, then forced a halfhearted smile. β€œYes, do that, Mr. Briggs. It’s the only way they’ll have a chance of being sold. And you did sell quite a few in Nelson last month. Maybe Clarion County will be a better territory.”
Mr. Briggs quickly nodded and said, β€œI certainly hope so, Mrs. Clancey, for both of us. But may I give you an advance?” he offered. β€œJust a little, to help you get by? I’m bound to sell some, you know.”
Mother raised her chin slightly and shook her head. β€œThank you, but no,” she replied. β€œIf they don’t sell, I’d only have to pay it back. I’ll just wait and see. Now, how much do I owe you for thread?”
After they settled their account, we stood on the porch and waved good-bye as Mr. Briggs and his traveling emporium drove down the dusty lane. Then Mother seemed to slump ever so slightly against the porch railing. She reached into her pocket and drew out some change.
β€œHe could only sell three aprons, Carrie,” she said with a sigh. β€œIt paid for the thread, and that’s about all. What’s left is for tithing. Would you please put it in the jar for me, dear?”
I took the change and frowned. β€œMaybe you should have taken the advance Mr. Briggs offered, Mother. We’re running out of a lot of things.”
β€œMr. Briggs would not have minded, dear, but I would have,” she said with a smile. β€œNow do as I say. Put the money in the tithing jar, then fetch the pail. We’ll forget about aprons for a little and weed the strawberries.”
I knew we were out of flour and low on soap, but mother was always firm about God’s portion, so I did as I was told. Then I grabbed the pail and joined her on the back porch. She rolled up her sleeves and talked as we walked toward the strawberry patch. As we came closer, we could see white blossoms on the stems, but the nearer we got, the more red dots we saw among the lush green plants. The strawberries were ripe!
She clasped a hand to her mouth in surprise. β€œOh, look, Carrie!” she gasped. β€œAren’t they lovely? And they’ve gotten ripe without our noticing them at all.”
The aprons were gone from her mind as we knelt to pick the sweet ripe fruit. As I plunked them into the pail, I thought about the aprons, however, and how hard we had worked on them. Then, without considering, I asked, β€œDo you mind very much that we’re poor, Mother?”
She looked up in shock and quickly brushed back her hair. β€œPoor … ? Carrie, do you really think we’re poor?”
I was sorry I had spoken in such a thoughtless manner. β€œWell,” I stammered. β€œThe aprons … I mean, Mr. Briggs sold only three.”
She rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead, then threw back her head and laughed. β€œDarling, darling, daughter! Where did you ever get the idea that being without money means that we’re poor? Have I made you think that way? If I have,” she said with a smile, β€œlet me explain something. Making and sewing aprons while your father’s away is useful. We make a little extra money and keep busy. But your father sends money home, and we have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, food in our stomachs, and we owe no one anything!” Still smiling, she grabbed my hand. β€œBesides all that, how can you think we’re poor, when we’re sitting in the middle of God’s good strawberries with the juice staining your mouth?”
She pulled me closer and put her arms around me tightly. β€œLook at that blue sky, Carrie,” she said, pointing heavenward. β€œFeel the warm breeze. And don’t you realize the amount of love your father and I have for you? All of those are richesβ€”not riches that can be spentβ€”but they’re riches of a far deeper, more lasting kind. They’re blessings from God. What more in all the world could we possibly wantβ€”or need?”
I looked at the sky, then smiled and asked a playful question. β€œWell, how do we tithe our strawberries, Mother?”
She laughed again and replied, β€œThat’s easy, Carrie. We simply find someone to share them with. In fact, after dinner when it’s cooler, we’ll walk down the lane to Mrs. Fremont’s and give her a basketful of strawberries!”
I not only loved motherβ€”I liked her too. She had an answer for everything, and I learned many things at her side. Maybe one of the most important things I learned was what she told me that day. For I began to look for and appreciate all I received, because I finally realized that God’s blessings don’t always come in the way or manner we expect. But somehow they always comeβ€”just when they are needed most.
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πŸ‘€ Parents πŸ‘€ Children πŸ‘€ Other
Adversity Family Gratitude Tithing War

FYI:For Your Information

Summary: The Molalla High School seminary class earned points for attendance, memorization, reading, and scripture locating. They held first place for five months and were named the top class in their region. They also won their stake scripture chase by memorizing all 40 scriptures for the year.
The Molalla High School seminary class, taught by Dianne Chelson, earned enough points to be named the number one class in a poll conducted in the Portland Oregon Region. The status was achieved by earning points for attendance, memorization, reading, and locating scriptures. The ten students in the class were in first place when the poll began and held that position for five months.
The Molalla class also won their stake scripture chase competition. They went the extra mile and memorized all 40 of the year’s scriptures.
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πŸ‘€ Youth πŸ‘€ Church Leaders (Local)
Education Scriptures Teaching the Gospel

Stories from General Authorities on Dating

Summary: As a boy, President Eyring adopted President David O. McKay’s teachings about love and how to treat women as his standard. Years later, after hearing teammates talk about girls, he briefly doubted those ideals as unrealistic. In time he learned his peers were wrong and that President McKay’s standard was right.
We all need a standard, something to compare our behavior with, to help us decide what a practical goal of goodness is. And most of us choose people to compare ourselves with. I learned long ago that it matters who you choose for that comparison. Let me tell you how I learned.
Years ago, before adolescence hit me, I read a book called Gospel Ideals. It was a collection of excerpts from the talks of President David O. McKay. One chapter described how you would know when you were in love and, therefore, how you should view and treat women. His lofty words more than touched my heart: I felt a confirmation that they were true. Without telling anyone, I took David O. McKay’s words as one of my standards of goodness. Five or six years later, I was playing basketball with a very fine team in a league in a city. … Up to that point, I had never had a date. And I had no sisters, so what I thought I knew about girls and how to treat them came mostly from the visions I got from Gospel Ideals. I remember riding home one night from a game. … I sat in the back seat of the car. They talked about girls. … I can remember, as I listened to them, the thought coming into my mind: β€œI have been wrong. Those ideals about girls and how you should feel about them, how you should treat them, they are unrealistic.”
Luckily, in a few years I learned that they were wrong and President McKay was right. Or perhaps, in fairness to those young men, I learned that what I thought they had said, what I thought they had felt, what I thought they actually did, were not the true standard of goodness.
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πŸ‘€ General Authorities (Modern) πŸ‘€ Youth
Apostle Dating and Courtship Friendship Judging Others Young Men

My First Christmas As Bishop

Summary: The bishop describes tithing settlement as a season of remarkable generosity, from members giving full tithes and extra offerings to anonymous gifts for missionaries, humanitarian work, and needy families. He reflects on how giving and receiving bless both donors and recipients, including a grateful family who once gave secretly and now accepted help in the same spirit. The story ends with Christmas Eve in his own home, where anonymous service and gifts mirror the Savior’s example of love and giving.
Then a young couple with several young children came into my office. Earlier that day in sacrament meeting, we had read a letter from the First Presidency, announcing that an additional category of voluntary contributions was now available to Church membersβ€”a β€œhumanitarian fund.” Money donated to this category would be sent to Church headquarters and used for projects benefiting people worldwide, regardless of religious affiliation. This couple had lived in a developing nation and had witnessed the great needs there. Now they were donating a substantial sum to that fund, trusting that it would be put to the best possible use. I looked at their little children and then back at the parents. And I thought, β€œHow can you do without this money at Christmastime?” But I had an idea that perhaps their Christmas would be even more fulfilling as a result.
Then there were the people who had contributed freely to the ward missionary fund, even though they had no missionary sons or daughters. There were those who had given to the general missionary fund and to the general Book of Mormon fund. And there were those who had contributed toward the yet-to-be-built Bountiful Utah Templeβ€”even though they knew that the Church now pays for building projects through tithing, rather than through a separate building fund.
Later, another couple came in. They, too, had contributed liberally throughout the year. As we were about to conclude our visit, the husband said, β€œBishop, is there anyone in the ward who has special needs this Christmas? We don’t have a lot of extra money, but we would like to give what we do have to someone who needs it.”
Immediately I thought of a single mother in our ward. She was doing her best to be self-reliant and certainly wasn’t looking for a handout. But money was tight. She was going back to school, and there were medical bills to pay. Surely she would be a worthy recipient of this couple’s generosity.
I accepted their offer in her behalf. They told me they weren’t interested in knowing the name of the receiver. And they, too, wanted to remain anonymous.
The husband pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and stacked several twenty-dollar bills on my desk. As he was doing so, his wife said, somewhat apologetically, β€œIt’s not much. But now that our children are grown, we don’t feel that we’re doing as much in the ward as we used to. This is the least we can do.”
I protested at her apology, knowing they were doing much in their Church callings and in their quiet service to neighbors and to an elderly parent. And I thanked them for being so generous.
The next day, while taking the money to the recipient, I became a little uneasy. How would she receive this gift? Would she be offended? Would she hesitate to accept it?
When I handed the money to her, I described the spirit in which the gift had been given and encouraged her to receive it in that same spirit.
She accepted the money gratefully.
β€œI can accept this,” she said, β€œbecause when times were better for me, I often gave anonymously, just like this.” Then she told me about the secret projects her family had done over the years. She told me about times when she had purchased a frozen turkey and left it, with all the trimmings, on someone’s doorstep. She told me about anonymously mailing money to people who needed it, and about purchasing a coat and boots for the child of a needy friend. Now, in her time of need, she was a gracious receiver.
As I reviewed the monetary contributions so many ward members had made during the year, I couldn’t help remembering, too, their year’s worth of donated labor: The people who, week after week, had provided lessons and leadershipβ€”wherever they had been called to serve. The young men and young women who had cleaned the yards of elderly members, both in spring and in autumn. The sisters who had helped a member with wall-papering and painting. The elders and high priests who had done heavy yard work and repairs for those who were unable to do it alone. The young women and Relief Society sisters who had visited a homeless shelter several timesβ€”taking food, supplies, and encouragement. The young men who, without needing to be reminded, had gone out in teams and shoveled elderly members’ walks and driveways each time it snowed. The Scouts who had collected toys and books for the Primary Children’s Medical Center. The sisters who had taken meals and reassurance to the sick, the grieving, and the homebound. The priesthood brethren who had given countless blessings of health and comfort. The members who had donated time at the Church cannery to fill the shelves at the bishops’ storehouse. The many people who had quietly listenedβ€”and caredβ€”and lifted. And the ones who had served in many ways without anyone else knowing anything about it.
And I thought of the many thank-yous from gracious receivers.
One was from a nine-year-old boy. Following is the letter he sent our Relief Society president and me after his family had received a load of food from the bishops’ storehouse (I have changed his brother’s name in order to preserve anonymity):
β€œDear Bishop Gardner and Sister Thomas,
β€œI just got home from school. Ricky walked in first and said, β€˜What in the … ?!’ Then I saw what he just saw. Food … Food! Food all over the place! Boxes, bags, cans, and even cartons of milk and eggs! Ricky said, β€˜Look! There must be a million oranges!’
β€œWe wanted to thank you, Sister Thomas, and the whole Church (especially our ward) for all the help you’re giving us right now, especially all this nice food donated from the bishops’ storehouse. It’s such a wonderful feeling to feel so loved, so cared for, and thought about.
β€œGratefully.” (And he signed his full name.)
Then it was Christmas Eve. My own family of young children and teenagers were just finishing our annual Christmas pageantβ€”complete with scriptures, carols, costumes, a real-live baby playing the part of the Christ child, a three-year-old Mary, a six-year-old Joseph, an angel, a shepherd, and a Wise Man. (I always somehow end up with the role of the donkey.)
There was a knock at the door. It was Santa Claus! In living color! He ho-ho-hoed himself into the living room, made a big fuss over each child, reached into his enormous sack, and pulled out a gift for each member of the family. As he did so, I noticed a vague resemblance between Santa and a member of our ward.
Then he wished us all a Merry Christmas and was off. Two of the youngest children were determined to see the reindeer for themselves, and they raced out to the front porch. But Santa must have parked his sleigh down the street somewhere. We watched and listened to his sleigh bells jingle as he trotted merrily through the neighborhood and disappeared into the snowy darkness.
What a Christmas it wasβ€”my first Christmastime as bishop! How could I ever express my gratitude for the many ward members who had made it a joyful time of giving and receivingβ€”and for all who carry that spirit with them throughout the year?
And how could I ever express my gratitude and love for the Savior, Jesus Christ, who had set the pattern and had given the greatest gift of all?
Certainly, my nine-year-old friend is right: β€œIt’s such a wonderful feeling to feel so loved, so cared for, and thought about.”
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πŸ‘€ Church Leaders (Local) πŸ‘€ Parents πŸ‘€ Children πŸ‘€ Church Members (General)
Charity Children Christmas Emergency Response Faith Sacrament Meeting Sacrifice Service

It Started with a Pamphlet

Summary: Though skeptical about unpaid church service, Cho Gil Ja eventually listened to missionaries. She read the Book of Mormon in three days, prayed, and received a powerful confirmation of its truth. She then felt impressed to attend church and serve.
But some of the siblings also had their own reservations about the Church. The second daughter, Cho Gil Ja, had doubts centered in part on why her older brother was asked to give so much service to his church without being paid, as ministers were in other churches. She dated, married, and was raising her own young children before she finally heeded her brother’s request to listen to the missionaries.
When they asked her to read the Book of Mormon, she became absorbed in the reading and finished the book in three days. She heeded Moroni’s admonition to pray about its teachings and received a strong confirmation that they are true. At that point, she says, β€œI felt there must be something I could do for God.” The impression she received in answer to this desire was that she too should attend church and serve.
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πŸ‘€ Missionaries πŸ‘€ Church Members (General)
Book of Mormon Conversion Doubt Missionary Work Prayer Revelation Service Testimony

Elder John A. Widtsoe

Summary: The Widtsoe family immigrated to Utah in 1883, where John applied himself to education. He graduated from Brigham Young College, then studied at Harvard, graduating with highest honors, and met Leah Dunford, whom he later married.
In 1883 the Widtsoe family immigrated to Logan, Utah, where young John later enrolled in Brigham Young College. A hard worker and bright student, he graduated in 1891, studied chemistry at Harvard University, and graduated with highest honors in 1894. While at Harvard, he met Leah Eudora Dunford. They married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1898 and became the parents of seven children, only three of whom lived to adulthood.
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πŸ‘€ General Authorities (Modern) πŸ‘€ Young Adults
Adversity Death Education Family Marriage Parenting Sealing Temples

There Is Power in the Book

Summary: Angelo Scarpulla, trained from youth and later a devoted priest, struggled as his faith wavered amid study and concerns about apostasy. After meeting Church members assisting missionaries, he read the Book of Mormon and felt divine assurance that he had found truth. He was baptized and later served as a branch president.
Angelo Scarpulla started his theological studies in his native Italy when he was 10. He eventually became a priest and served his church with devotion. At a certain point his faith started to waver, and he sought and received opportunities for further study. The more he studied, however, the more concerned he became. What he read and felt convinced him that there had been a general apostasy from the true doctrine taught by Jesus and the early Apostles. Angelo searched for God’s true religion in various faiths but was left unsatisfied for many years.

One day he encountered two members of the Church who were helping the missionaries find more people to teach. He felt drawn to them and joyfully listened to their message. Angelo willingly accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon.

That evening he started reading the book. He felt overcome with joy. Through the Spirit, God gave Angelo an inner assurance that in the Book of Mormon he would find the truth for which he had been seeking for many years. Sweet feelings flooded through him. What he read and what he learned from the missionaries confirmed his conclusion that there had been a general apostasy, but he also learned that God’s true Church had been restored to the earth. A short while later, Angelo was baptized into the Church.4 When I first met him, he was the president of the Rimini Branch of our Church in Italy.
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πŸ‘€ Missionaries πŸ‘€ Church Leaders (Local) πŸ‘€ Other
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George Albert Smith:On Reaching Out to Others

Summary: As a young ZCMI salesman, George Albert Smith traveled with a companion, Jim, who brought a jug of whiskey to share with customers. Rather than lecture him, George arranged for the whiskey to be replaced with water while Jim was away. Later, Jim discovered only foul-smelling sulfur water, to George's amused satisfaction.
This same sensitivity he enhanced manyfold through mixing with all types of people and through coming to know their problems. When he was twenty years old, George Albert Smith was engaged as a salesman for Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution, traveling through Southern Utah with a companion known to history only as Jim.
One is impressed with the ability of the future prophet even then to mix well with all types of company. He entertained on occasion with his harmonica and guitar and kept himself in good physical shape by exercising with Indian clubs and dumbbells (occasionally giving an exhibition of his prowess with the same in some of the villages).
His sense of humor, which helped him open many hearts, was evidenced from time to time. A demonstration of this is shown in an incident on the journey involving a jug of whiskey that Jim had brought on the trip to share with his customers. This fact bothered George, when he discovered it, because of his own commitment to the principles of the Word of Wisdom. However, there was no sermon preached by him to his companion, no chastisementβ€”just an idea for a great practical joke somewhere along the route of the journey. The chance came before the two left Provo, about fifty miles south of Salt Lake City. While Jim was away from the wagon, the jug was located and carried off secretly to a friend with instructions for him to empty the whiskey and to fill the jug with water. Then the jug was put back in its original place. Several nights later it was brought out by Jim and the secret was revealed: no whiskey, just a jug full of foul-smelling sulphur waterβ€”much to the amusement of President Smith, who often loved to retell this story and others when he himself was the victim of a practical joke.
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Apostle Diversity and Unity in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Employment Friendship Health Kindness Music Word of Wisdom

Haitian Saints See Hope in the Gospel

Summary: Baptized in 1983, Eddy Bourdeau initially lacked strong conviction and was apprehensive about priesthood. Reading Church history and the sacrifices of pioneers strengthened his dedication. The Book of Mormon further confirmed his resolve, and he later recognized many blessings as he devoted himself to God.
When Eddy Bourdeau was baptized in 1983, he never imagined one day becoming the district president for the entire country (before its recent division). β€œI didn’t have a strong conviction at first,” he says. β€œIn fact, I was apprehensive about receiving the Aaronic Priesthood.”

Then he read several books on Church history that increased his dedication. β€œWhen I came across an account of the early pioneers who left their homes, countries, even families, to go to an unknown wilderness in Utah, I thought, β€˜They traded everything. They wouldn’t sacrifice that much for something that wasn’t true!’”

His subsequent reading of the Book of Mormon added to his conviction that β€œif they can do it, I can do it, no matter how hard things get.” He now recalls many blessingsβ€”such as his returned-missionary wifeβ€”that came to him when he decided to devote himself to God. β€œGod provides. He’ll help us here in Haiti,” he says. β€œBut we ask that the members throughout the world pray for us as we try to start over again. We need your prayers.”
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β€œCome, Follow Me” by Practicing Christian Love and Service

Summary: The speaker describes a neighbor who tenderly cares for his wife with Alzheimer’s, helping her prepare for church each Sunday. One day she expresses a wish to see her husband again, and he lovingly reassures her that he is her husband, to which she responds with relief. The example demonstrates selfless love and the Saviorlike nature of caregiving.
I think of my neighbor whose wife was afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Every Sunday he would help her dress for Church meetings, comb her hair, apply her makeup, even put on her earrings. In rendering this service, he was an example to every man and woman in our wardβ€”in fact, for the world. One day his wife said to him, β€œI just want to see my husband again and be with him.”

He answered, β€œI am your husband.”

And she sweetly replied, β€œOh, good!”
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Oasis

Summary: Before the conference, youth leaders openly explained that participants would work hard and how the service would bless the welfare farm. Although organizers initially feared the labor focus would discourage attendance, more than 500 youth came to an event planned for 300. The service-centered approach became a strength, not a deterrent.
β€œWe explained at a fireside what we planned to do at the conference,” Jacie said. β€œWe told them we were going to work and work hard, but we explained how they could help and how much good it would do for the farm.”

Evidently the appeal was convincing. β€œThis is the biggest turnout we’ve ever had for a youth conference,” Jacie said. And Gary, who served on the steering committee with her, noted that more than 500 attended an activity originally planned for 300. β€œAt first we were afraid people would be turned off by the idea of working, but it turned out to be one of the best ideas ever.”
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Nicaragua:

Summary: While seeking religious truth, Victor Vallecillo received a Book of Mormon from his coworker, President Pedro Aviles, and was baptized in 2004. Filled with joy, he now invites friends to learn and often teaches with missionaries; his teenage son even studies a map, longing to see the gospel reach unreached areas.
Victor Vallecillo is a co-worker of Pedro Aviles, president of the Managua Nicaragua Stake. When Victor was seeking religious truth, President Aviles gave him a Book of Mormon. Brother Vallecillo feels so joyful about the gospel that since his baptism in November 2004 he has adopted the habit of inviting friends to hear the gospel, and he often goes out with missionaries to teach. His wife and two children have the spirit of missionary work too. One night, Brother Vallecillo recalls, his teenage son was studying a map of Nicaragua, looking at the northern part of the country where Brother Vallecillo grew up. β€œPapa,” his son said, pointing to places on the map, β€œthe gospel is not here, and it is not here, and it is not here.” How soon, he wondered, would missionaries be able to go to those places so that others could share in the blessings of the gospel?
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Prayer and Faith Go Hand in Hand

Summary: A girl's seminary talk was accidentally deleted late at night, and her family couldn't recover it despite trying and calling their dad out of state. The next morning, her younger sibling remembered Moroni 10:4 and prayed with faith for help. Later that day, their mom opened the computer and the talk appeared, allowing it to be printed and delivered successfully. The family learned the importance of faith and prayer.
My sister had to give an important talk in seminary. She spent two hours working on it on the computer. Then she started working on something else on the computer. When she went back to print out the talk, it had been deleted from the computer. This happened at 10:00 P.M., and I was in bed asleep. She and Mom woke up my older brother and asked for his help. They even called Dad, who was in North Carolina for the week. Neither my brother nor Dad could help get the talk back. They all went to bed upset and discouraged.
In the morning, Mom told me about the talk being deleted. I asked, β€œDid you pray about it?” Mom said that they hadn’t done that. When I went upstairs to get ready for school, a part of a scripture, Moroni 10:4, came to my mind: β€œβ€¦ if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ. …” I thought, Well, I think I have a sincere heart, and I really want my sister to have her talk back, and I have faith in Christ. So I decided to pray as the scripture told me.
When I came home from school, Mom met me at the door and told me that when she got on the computer to work on her Scout committee records, the talk came up on the screen. She printed it out immediately for my sister, who did a good job when she gave the talk. We all learned from that experience how important it is to have faith and to pray and ask Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ for all the things that we need help with.
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πŸ‘€ Parents πŸ‘€ Youth πŸ‘€ Children πŸ‘€ Church Members (General)
Book of Mormon Faith Family Miracles Prayer Revelation Scriptures Testimony

Today Determines Tomorrow

Summary: A newly called bishop assigned each counselor to ensure timely, worthy ordinations from deacon to teacher and teacher to priest, while he assumed responsibility for priests receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood. He expressed confidence that, with God’s help, they could succeed. They did.
One newly called bishop, in his first meeting with his counselors, declared, β€œThe Aaronic Priesthood is a prime responsibility of ours.” To the second counselor, he directed, β€œI ask you to be personally responsible to ensure that every deacon, at the appropriate age, be worthy and be ordained a teacher.” To the other counselor, he said, β€œWill you please do the same as pertains to the teachers, that they may, on schedule, be worthy and be ordained priests.” Then the bishop continued, β€œI will take the same responsibility for the priests to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and be ordained elders. Together, and with God’s help, we can do it.” And they did.
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